Xmas 2014 New Year 2015

Christmas Greetings ALL !!

MERRY XMAS 2014 , and a Happy & Prosperous  New Year for 2015

            May All your Dreams come true

Roy

update post 2

Hi again ALL,
Well I left Tyrell Bay bound for St Lucia early, hoisted the mainsail and sailed past close to each boat I had made good friends with, had a special send off from all.  'Jambaiala' a very big Carriacue sloop gave a salute as I left, being a lot faster  she left after me and overtook me, pic)1

 Peter who owns her now told me of his sadness when he spotted G.L. at Antigua, for he had bought a 12 ton Gauntlet called 'Muresse' in which he completed a circumnavigation taking 5 years!
Pic ) 2 is sighting St Lucia at 0557hrs next morning as the Pitons appeared after a severe squall.

Having arrived at Rodney Bay, the first job on my work list is to repair the toe rail that the toe boats pulled off when G.L. was rescued from the reef in 2011!!! yes, it took that long to find the teak at an affordable price! following pics show the story of that little job. pic 1, the plank on deck next to the hole it will fill.

after having it cut, the piece is offered up for the first time.

then accurately marking and cutting the hooked scarf joint.

The teak is 4 1/2" wide x 1 1/8" thick x 14' long, not at all easy to bend a complex shape with when you see how far it has to go. But having glued and screwed the joint, the process is started.

a quick sand to check the joint is good.

the screws are 6" long x 3/8" and go through the plank edge + covering board into the top hull plank, approx 10" centres, the bending round and lifting up drilling and screwing went on for two days!

until finally at the knight head and screwed home.

 

then the capping rail has to go on after plugging all the fasteners, 14 screws were used on the plank, magically sourced in July 2012 in St Thomas USVI.

and at last it is finished

but not quite...cutting and fitting two newly acquired fairleads (in Grenada) and blocks to match on both sides, and the finishing sealer can be applied.

I am now up to date, and as I write this, I have had to go and do the complete boats rails, which is in progress, the new bit showed up the rest!
Roy

update 1

Hi to all,
I am so far behind in the blog due to the problems getting internet, but here I go again.
I had a quiet November really, weather was very rainy, to reflect later, on these quiet days, 1) I took a small video clip. Taken at the Gallery Cafe while having breakfast.

then 2) a picture of my boat at anchor with the dingy hoisted, my normal way when on the boat!
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then 3) three pics of the beach Tyrell Bay, one of the dingy dock awash at The Lazy Turtle Restaurant.
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then 4) two pics of a beautiful sunset.
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then 5) one pic, of one of  many, baby turtles! whose nest had been exposed by wave erosion.
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then 6) a before and after pic of my anchor lamp
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then whilst all this is going on, its getting close to my extended visa running out. The weekend before, I had a very lucky 'opportunity knocks' situation, and after an adventure into darkest Carriacue, met a man Ray Charles who had a teak log in his wood-mill, I have only been looking for a bit of teak to fix the starboard toe rail for three years!!!
so a then 7) a pic of the plank he cut off the log for me.
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So after the plank was lashed to the deck, and after my sister Lynne said she had posted the spares I had ordered, it was time to head out for St Lucia, first though a farewell dinner, with Spirited Lady Suzie, Maddy and friends, we did it at the 'Lazy Turtle'
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I will split this post here to do a bit more sanding on deck
more very soon
Roy